Chicago Stars FC Overview
Chicago Stars Football Club is an American professional women’s soccer team based in the Chicago metropolitan area that competes in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). Founded in 2006, the team plays its home games at Martin Stadium in Evanston, Illinois, and was re-branded as Chicago Stars FC in late 2024 after operating for many years as the Chicago Red Stars. The organization is a founding member of both the Women’s Professional Soccer league and, later, the National Women’s Soccer League. Chicago has reached the NWSL Championship on two occasions, in 2019 and 2021, and has built a reputation as one of the league’s most consistently competitive clubs since joining in 2013.
Majority owner and chairperson Laura Ricketts leads a Chicago-based ownership group that completed its purchase of the club on September 1, 2023. The team’s on-field operations are overseen by head coach Martin Sjögren, a Swedish manager who took charge of the program in 2025. The club’s current identity is shaped by its ties to the city of Chicago, its long playoff history in the NWSL, and a recent period of renewal following major changes in leadership and ownership.
Founding and Organizational Origins
The franchise was created in 2006, when FC Indiana owners Gary Weaver, Dale Weaver, and Shek Borkowski launched an effort to bring a women’s professional soccer team to Chicago. Originally known as Chicago Professional Women’s Soccer, the project was reorganized into the Chicago Red Stars with the help of sports executive Peter Wilt, who assembled a broad investor group to support the club’s launch. The four six-pointed red stars featured in the team’s original name and crest reference the four red stars on the flag of Chicago, each representing a landmark event in the city’s history: Fort Dearborn, the Great Chicago Fire, the 1893 World’s Fair, and the 1933 World’s Fair.
Marcia McDermott, the former head coach of the Northwestern University women’s soccer team and of the Women’s United Soccer Association’s Carolina Courage, was named the Red Stars’ first general manager. Peter Wilt served as the team’s initial chief executive officer through the 2009 season, with Arnim Whisler joining the leadership group as part of the early investor team. The club built its early operations around a roster of international players, college standouts, and youth national team prospects, supported by a growing fan base in the Chicago area.
Growth Into NWSL Competition
The Chicago Red Stars were announced in 2006 as part of a new women’s professional soccer league and joined seven other clubs for the inaugural 2009 season of Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS). The team won its opening match and finished 2009 with the league’s second-best attendance behind the Los Angeles Sol. Chicago competed in WPS through the 2010 season before leaving the league in December 2010 due to financial constraints. WPS folded in 2011.
After a one-season stint in the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) in 2011 and a season in the WPSL Elite League in 2012, the Red Stars became a founding member of the National Women’s Soccer League in 2013. The NWSL was launched with financial backing from the United States Soccer Federation, the Canadian Soccer Association, and the Mexican Football Federation. Chicago received USWNT allocations including Shannon Boxx, Amy LePeilbet, and Keelin Winters, and gradually built a competitive roster that became a regular playoff presence throughout the 2010s.
Chicago Stars FC Competitive Journey
From their earliest seasons in Women’s Professional Soccer through their current campaign in the NWSL, Chicago has moved between leagues, navigated ownership transitions, and built a record of sustained playoff contention. The club’s competitive journey includes a 2011 WPSL semifinal appearance, a 2012 WPSL Elite League final, and seven consecutive NWSL playoff berths between 2015 and 2021. Two NWSL Championship final appearances, in 2019 and 2021, are the high points of the franchise’s professional history.
Early Seasons and Development (2006–2012)
The Red Stars began WPS play in 2009 with a 1–0 win at Saint Louis Athletica and quickly established themselves as one of the league’s strongest opening teams. After a midseason scoring drought, Chicago finished the year in sixth place and missed the playoffs. In 2010, the team returned with renewed expectations but was unable to meet the WPS funding requirements and departed the league in December 2010.
Chicago played the 2011 WPSL season out of the Village of Lisle-Benedictine University Sports Complex under coach Rory Dames, finishing with a 10–1 regular-season record before losing the WPSL final in overtime to the Orange County Waves. In 2012, the club joined the WPSL Elite League alongside several former WPS franchises, reaching the league final before falling to the Western New York Flash on penalties. The Red Stars also won the 2012 National Women’s Cup that same year.
Breakthrough in NWSL (2013–2021)
Chicago struggled in the NWSL’s first two seasons, finishing sixth in 2013 and fifth in 2014 without reaching the playoffs. The team’s breakthrough came in 2015, when Christen Press scored four of the club’s first five goals and rookie Sofia Huerta was named NWSL Player of the Month in May. The Red Stars finished second in the regular season and lost a playoff semifinal to FC Kansas City. The club reached the postseason every year from 2015 through 2021.
In 2019, Chicago reached the NWSL Championship for the first time after clinching a fifth consecutive playoff spot. Sam Kerr scored her 18th goal of the season in the clinching match, breaking her own single-season NWSL scoring record. The Red Stars defeated the Portland Thorns 1–0 in a semifinal at home before losing 4–0 to the North Carolina Courage in the final. The following season, Chicago again reached the championship match, this time losing 2–1 in overtime to the Washington Spirit in Louisville.
The team’s success was soon overshadowed by a major off-field crisis. On November 22, 2021, head coach Rory Dames resigned after The Washington Post reported allegations of abuse by Dames dating back to 2014. Subsequent reporting and an investigation by former U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates found that majority owner Arnim Whisler had known about Dames’s behavior and failed to act. Whisler resigned from the NWSL Board of Directors in October 2022 and announced plans to sell the team in December 2022. In January 2023, the club was fined $1.5 million and Dames was banned from coaching in the NWSL.
Modern Program and Current Direction (2022–Present)
In September 2023, a Chicago-based group led by Laura Ricketts acquired the club for $35.5 million, with an additional $25 million committed to club operations. Chris Petrucelli was named head coach ahead of the 2022 NWSL season, in which Chicago extended its playoff streak to seven consecutive years before being eliminated by San Diego in extra time. Mallory Pugh led the team in scoring and was named to the NWSL Best XI.
On October 23, 2024, the franchise announced a name change to Chicago Stars Football Club, taking effect during the 2024–25 offseason. The new crest features a single red star, two shades of blue, and a curved marquee shape inspired by the city’s theaters and Wrigley Field. With its lease at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview set to expire, the Stars announced in September 2025 that they would play the 2026 season at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. The 2025 NWSL regular season ended with the team in 14th place, missing the playoffs and snapping the club’s long postseason run.
Philosophy and Competitive Strengths
Chicago has historically built its identity around disciplined defending, strong goalkeeping, and the development of young American talent alongside international stars. The club’s long playoff streak between 2015 and 2021 reflected a consistent regular-season foundation, while championship runs in 2019 and 2021 showcased its ability to develop attacking leaders such as Sam Kerr, Christen Press, and Mallory Pugh. Under Martin Sjögren, the program is focused on rebuilding around the Stars’ renewed identity and the upcoming 2026 move to Martin Stadium.
Key Milestones and Major Moments
Key milestones include the franchise’s 2009 WPS debut, the 2012 WPSL Elite League final and National Women’s Cup win, the 2015 return to the NWSL playoffs, the 2019 NWSL Championship appearance, the 2021 second championship run, Sam Kerr’s single-season scoring record, the 2023 sale to the Ricketts-led group, and the 2024 rebrand to Chicago Stars FC. The club also reached an agreement to return to Northwestern’s Martin Stadium beginning in 2026.
Chicago Stars FC Achievements and Results
Chicago Stars FC has reached two NWSL Championship finals, in 2019 and 2021, and made the NWSL playoffs in seven consecutive seasons between 2015 and 2021. The club has also reached a WPSL final in 2011, a WPSL Elite League final in 2012, and won the 2012 National Women’s Cup. Below is a summary of the franchise’s verified competitive accomplishments across its time in North American women’s professional soccer.
NWSL Achievements
The Stars have qualified for the NWSL playoffs in eight seasons overall, including seven straight from 2015 to 2021. Chicago reached the NWSL Championship final in 2019 and 2021, losing to the North Carolina Courage and Washington Spirit, respectively. Forward Sam Kerr set the league’s single-season scoring record in 2019 with 18 goals.
Conference Achievements
Within the NWSL’s conference structure, Chicago has finished as high as second in the regular season (2015) and has recorded multiple top-four finishes during its playoff era. The team consistently ranked among the NWSL’s top clubs from 2015 through 2021, supported by the development of players such as Christen Press, Sofia Huerta, Julie Ertz, Mallory Pugh, and Tatumn Milazzo.
Divisional Achievements
Chicago has competed in the NWSL’s Central Division alignment, finishing as runner-up in the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup Central Division behind the Kansas City Current. Across its seven-year playoff streak, the club regularly featured in the upper tier of its division, with the 2019 squad earning the NWSL’s Iron Woman honor for defender Sarah Gorden.
Series Achievements
Beyond the NWSL, the franchise previously competed in Women’s Professional Soccer, the Women’s Premier Soccer League, and the WPSL Elite League. Highlights include a WPSL final appearance in 2011 and a WPSL Elite League final in 2012, when the Red Stars also won the 2012 National Women’s Cup. These early series accomplishments laid the foundation for the organization’s long-term presence in top-tier American women’s soccer.
